Everything The Next Animal Crossing Game Must Learn From Pokémon Pokopia

Pokémon Pokopia has been nothing short of a massive success for Nintendo and the Nintendo Switch 2. My review called it "the ultimate cozy Pokémon life simulator," and it left me wondering about the future of the genre for Nintendo.

Pokémon Pokopia is a truly special, once-in-a-lifetime game that changes the entire landscape of the genre. There may be nothing new or revolutionary here, but that's not the point. We were sold a cute, fun, and charming Pokémon spinoff that could hold our cozy gaming hearts over until something like Tomodachi Life or the next Animal Crossing releases. What we got was a game that questions whether or not we'd be willing to put Pokémon Pokopia down when those games come out.

At the end of the day, all three of those games are going to deliver three different experiences. Pokopia feels more like a city builder with some life simulation thrown in. Tomodachi Life is an over-the-top and hilarious life simulation experience, but where does that leave Animal Crossing? It's very possible that by the time the Nintendo Switch 2 version of Animal Crossing releases, fans could be getting their fix elsewhere.

Now, I don't expect Animal Crossing to rest on its laurels and deliver the same experience it has, especially after the wake of New Horizons, which sometimes feels like it's missing that special sauce. In fact, I fully expect the next Animal Crossing game to take inspiration from what Pokémon Pokopia does well and use that to its advantage.

5 Animal Crossing's Villagers Need More Personality

Interaction is Key

It feels weird to say this considering how much of Animal Crossing's value comes from interacting with the villagers, but it's true. The Pokémon in Pokémon Pokopia are brimming with personality in ways that the traditional Animal Crossing villagers aren't.

All of the Pokémon do an excellent job of organically interacting with you, each other, and the environments you build. It certainly helps that they're living in habitats and not actual homes, so you can see them walking around 24/7.

That's not to say that Animal Crossing villagers aren't walking around town, because they most certainly do. Yet I feel like I'm interrupting their day more often than not. In Pokopia, talking to each Pokémon makes it feel like I've made their day. Animal Crossing's villagers have their own personalities that result in fan favorites, but I can't help but feel like they get old faster than I'd like. Meanwhile, it's still a delight to talk with my Pokémon.

4 Get Rid of the Timegating

Let Us Play at Our Own Pace

Far and away, my least favorite aspect of Animal Crossing is the amount of timegating that exists.

Having to turn my internal system clock forward to progress through the game is not only frustrating, but also breaks immersion and ultimately hampers my experience. Plus, I learned from Resetti long ago not to partake in such events.

The best thing that Pokémon Pokopia does is balance its timegating. Sure, it'll take some time for certain things to finish building, but I'm not blocked from experiencing the rest of the game. This is especially true early on. I can customize my town as I see fit while waiting for everything else to finish. It results in me spending more time with the game rather than waiting for real time to elapse. The result is, unsurprisingly, me being more active in my game and building more relationships with Pokémon.

3 More Customization Options for my Village

Exterior Design In Works

We've all been there when it comes to planning out the perfect village. It always feels like there's something that gets in the way of that, whether it's someone moving in and putting their house in an inopportune location or the game physically limits what you can do.

Pokopia's freedom when it comes to terraforming is a breath of fresh air that Animal Crossing so desperately needs. It allows our creative minds to come alive and truly deliver the city of our dreams. It's also something long overdue in the world of Animal Crossing.

In fact, it's frustrating that this Pokémon spinoff does this better than the franchise that's made a name for itself as the cozy life simulator. Just think that would be possible in a world where Animal Crossing gives you the freedom to work on your terrain that Pokopia does.

It's something that I seriously hope the next Animal Crossing introduces. I mentioned in Pokémon Pokopia review that I'm not sure where the Animal Crossing franchise goes from here, and this is the biggest reason why. It's going to be hard to play the Switch 2's Animal Crossing without some of the features that make Pokopia so great. While Animal Crossing is taking some of the right steps forward, it needs to do more.

2 Have Villager Tasks Deliver More Agency

Purpose In Life

Far and away, my favorite thing about Pokémon Pokopia is how every task the Pokémon give you has a purpose. It's not a mindless chore that may get you a piece of furniture that you'll most likely immediately throw out. Instead, it acts as an agency to naturally introduce you to the game's mechanics without throwing you straight into the deep end.

I can't tell you how many times I've booted up Animal Crossing over the years, realized there's nothing of substance to do, and told myself, "Well, maybe tomorrow there will be something worth doing." It's something that Pokopia takes to heart; every small task from the Pokémon has its intended purpose of easing you into the gameplay.

As a result, I've spent more time exploring and customizing the world of Pokopia than I ever thought. There are so many little things the game does well that it actively encourages me to spend more time with it. Compared to the world of Animal Crossing, where it feels like I often have to make my own agency, it's a night and day difference.

There are so many simple ways this can be accomplished, too. Have the villagers request to bring a certain shop to the village. Task me with hunting down a type of bug, fish, or fossil to put into the Museum. Do something that actively encourages me to participate in the game's systems beyond me just wanting to earn bells for the sake of earning bells.

1 Don't Rest on Its Laurels

Long-Desired Innovation

I'm convinced that one of the reasons for Pokopia's overall success and positive reception is how it caught people off guard.

Look, let's not mince words here; the Pokémon franchise is not one known for delivering innovative, streamlined experiences that work in the year 2026. It feels like recent mainline Pokémon games (rightfully) catch a lot of flack for doing the bare minimum, and the spin-offs simply coast on the popularity of the IP.

That's not the case with Pokopia, though. This is a game that would have worked even without the Pokémon franchise attached to it. It's a marvelous cozy life simulator/city builder that succeeds on every level while simultaneously giving people a reason to buy a Switch 2. Animal Crosisng, meanwhile, feels like it's been too content to coast on the popularity of the franchise. Everyone was clamoring for the Switch version of Animal Crossing, and what we got was a game that ultimately played it safe.

The next Animal Crossing needs to be bold enough to take risks. Innovative, introduce something new, and give us a reason to check it out rather than just relying on the tried and true formula that's starting to feel stale.